Samsung Galaxy SIII Review

 

HARDWARE
Under the hood you have a Qualcomm 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 processor.  The sad part is that a lot of other phones outside the U.S. are coming packed with quad-core processor but when you really look at it, you aren’t missing those 2 extra cores too much.  It can launch apps, watch hi-definition videos, load up websites and handle multitasking without even hiccupping.
The S III also features 2GB of RAM, unlike the 1GB RAM setup found in the One X. But, while the S III clearly had plenty of horsepower, I saw no discernible power advantage over the One X. Both are fantastic performers and equally top-of-class in this regard.
The size of the device is starting to move into the fabled phablet (phone/tablet hybrid) as it doesn’t shy away from its massive screen size and still keep its lightweight design.  The S III sports a 4.8-inch, 1280 x 720 pixel, Super HD AMOLED display, which seems massive.  The thin bezel around the device keeps the phone from feeling oversize, but it does push the limits on just how big a smartphone should be before we venture into that phablet zone I spoke of earlier.  Those of you with smaller hands will venture to say this device is “too big” to use one handed and even I had some trouble but I still was able to manage it.
The display is sharp and bright and some colors feel over bright.  Greens, blues and red pop off the screen brighter on the S III than I have seen on other handsets.  You also get deep blacks and that makes this device great for watching videos.
I’m also not a fan of the S III’s physical styling. The Pebble Blue and Ceramic White colors the S III is offered in look sharp — the blue especially, which is closer to purple. And the phone’s plastic chassis feels solid, as though it would withstand enough abuse to survive a 2-year contract. But the tooling is all slopes and rounded edges, leaving the handset looking more like a forgettable blob than the flashy flagship phone for the most popular Android maker.

SOFTWARE
The Galaxy S III ships with Google’s Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system with Samsung’s ever present TouchWiz user interface. On top of that, Samsung has added a special lock screen that simulates water ripples when you swipe it, and water-themed sound effects are dribbled throughout the phone.  Which is fun to play with I must admit.  It is like running your finger in water of a puddle when I was a kid.
Apple has Siri and Samsung has something called S Voice.  S Voice has been advertised to do certain things Siri couldn’t, like launch a camera app or a voice recording app, however I don’t think I was able to get much out of S Voice.  Not sure what the problem was with it but if Samsung wants to compete it had better shape up the S Voice and at least make it comparable to Siri.  With the latest release of iOS 6 Siri really got a huge upgrade and S Voice needs to match that.
The other great little feature was Pop Up Play.  This allows you to play stored videos on the S III to play in a pop-up window (think picture in picture on a TV) so you can watch a video and perform other tasks at the same time.  Worked very well however, I didn’t really see much of a use for it on the handheld screen of a smartphone.  If ported to a tablet then I can see a much better use for it.
When it comes to facial recognition on the S III it performs spectacularly.  When you take a photo the S III prompts you to identify faces based on contacts from your address book.  Once tagged it is easy to shave the photo with the using a feature Samsung calls Buddy Photo Share.  Just tape on the person’s face, and the S III presents you with the option of calling the person, share the photo via text, email, or with a social network like Google+ or Facebook.
Now in the commercials you see them using a few features called AllShare and Share Shot.  Where you can take a photo and share them with other S III users.  Yet, there are some issues with this feature.  First with AllShare you can send an invitation to up to 6 other S III devices that are nearby.  Those 6 invites must accept them one by one.  Also, with AllShare users can see the files you are sharing but they can’t save them.



This is where Share Shot comes into play.  Share Shot automatically distributes the photos you are taking by sending them over Wi-Fi to other S III handsets on your local Wi-Fi network.   This is where the pain comes in.  Users are sent an invite one at a time and each must either accept or decline the invitation, and each must respond before the next user is invited.  Imagine you are at a party and you try to share a photo and people have been drinking it can get a bit hectic with the “did you accept?”  Everything could be held up by one person who isn’t paying attention to their phone.
Now there is another feature called Group Cast which allows your group invites to accept and invitation independent of others and you can share photos, PDFs, and PowerPoint presentations between phones, but alas you can’t save the documents in this feature.
Samsung also felt the need to fiddle with Google’s built-in Android features.  For example the Android-to-Android sharing system called Android Beam that allows two NFC-equipped Android phones to share files when you tap the two devices together.  Great idea, right?  No need to be fiddled with, right?  Well Samsung didn’t feel that way and the S III brings the Android Beam feature and adds the S Beam, which does the same thing as Android Beam, which can only be used between Galaxy S III phones.
Samsung didn’t waste everything with the S III, they did do some really unique things.  When you are composing a text message on the S III and then you bring it to your ear, the phone automatically dials the person you were messaging.  Smart Stay uses the 1.9-megapixel front camera to detect when you’re looking at the phone or not, so that when you are looking at the phone the screen will remain active and if you look away the screen will dim out as usual.
TecTiles is another fun little addition to the Samsung NFC strategy.  TecTiles are tiny stickers with a chip inside of them.  Then using an Android app, you program them to perform a specific action, like send a text message or even set up a reminder.  You can place these stickers in any physical location, then tap the phone against one to initiate the pre-programmed action.  Unlike S Beam, TecTiles will work with any NFC-capable Android Phone, even though TecTiles’ launch was timed to coincide with the debut of the S III.

CAMERA
Every smartphone now a days gets rated on how great the camera is and what all the camera can do and the S III isn’t lacking in this department at all.  The rear camera has an 8-megapixel unit with LED flash.  Photos aren’t as sharp or as detailed in some other high end smartphones, but they do come close.  The camera app also has built-in face detection mode, a burst shot mode and modes for HDR photos, macro shots and panoramas.  One feature that was helpful when trying to snap a photo of my 4 year old son is the Smile Shot, which takes a photo anytime someone in the frame smiles
The front facing camera is 1.9-megapixel camera that is capable of handling Skype calling and profile pics but not really much of anything else.

Final Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy S III is still one of the top phones on the Android Market right now.  Some software issues aside the phone still out performs so many other devices.  The hardware side alone is mesmerizing enough and some of the other features just need a bit fine tuning and you have yourself a very worthy phone for a while.

SPECIFICATION:

General	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
	4G Network	LTE (regional)
	Announced	2012, May
	Status	Available. Released 2012, May

Body	Dimensions	136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm
	Weight	133 g
		- Touch-sensitive controls

Display	Type	Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	720 x 1280 pixels, 4.8 inches (~306 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 2
		- TouchWiz UI

Sound	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

Memory	Card slot	microSD, up to 64 GB
	Internal	16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM

Data	GPRS	Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
	EDGE	Class 12
	Speed	HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR
	NFC	Yes
	USB	Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL), USB On-the-go

Camera	Primary	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality
	Features	Simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps, check quality
	Secondary	Yes, 1.9 MP, 720p@30fps

Features	OS	Android OS, v4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
	Chipset	Exynos 4412 Quad
	CPU	Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9
	GPU	Mali-400MP
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
	Browser	HTML, Adobe Flash
	Radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
	Java	Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
	Colors	Pebble blue, Marble white, Amber brown, Garnet red, Sapphire black, Titanium grey
		- MicroSIM card support only - S-Voice natural language commands and dictation - Smart Stay eye tracking - Dropbox (50 GB storage) - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic - TV-out (via MHL A/V link) - SNS integration - MP4/DivX/XviD/WMV/H.264/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player - Organizer - Image/video editor - Document viewer (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) - Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration - Voice memo/dial/commands - Predictive text input (Swype)

Battery		Standard battery, Li-Ion 2100 mAh
	Stand-by	Up to 590 h (2G) / Up to 790 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 21 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 11 h 40 min (3G)

Misc	SAR US	0.55 W/kg (head)     1.49 W/kg (body)
	SAR EU	0.21 W/kg (head)

Tests	Display	Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) / 3.419:1 (sunlight)
	Loudspeaker	Voice 75dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 75dB
	Audio quality	Noise -90.3dB / Crosstalk -92.6dB
	Camera	Photo / Video
	Battery life	Endurance rating 43h

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All about HTC ONE X (REVIEW)

HTC One X

Giving the competition a run for its money, the HTC One X is a smartphone that goes beyond user expectations. The One X runs on a powerful 1.5 GHz Quad Core processor that is meant to be superfast, whether you are surfing the net or playing one of the specially enhanced games.  Based on the Android v4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, you can expect enhanced multitasking capabilities, user-friendly widgets and easy interactivity. The One X features the HTC Sense user interface that offers you a collection of tools and features that are powerful and customizable. The Android phone has a 4.7-inch Super LCD 2 capacitive full HD touchscreen that supports 720 x 1280 pixel resolution with 16 M colours offering vivid display. Gamers are going to enjoy the ULP GeForce powered graphics on the HTC smartphone.

You never have to miss a shot thanks to the 8 megapixel camera with LED flash. What’s impressive is that the camera takes just one second to start-up and you can enjoy rapid-fire continuous shooting and simultaneous 1080 x 1920 pixel HD video recording at 30 fps. The other exciting camera features include auto focus, BSI sensor, Geo-tagging and face and smile detection. The dedicated HTC ImageChip helps you get great shots regardless of lighting and movement. The One X comes with a 1.3 megapixel secondary camera as well.

When it comes to your audio experience on the HTC One, you can enjoy excellent audio quality thanks to the Beats Audio sound enhancement feature. Whether you are listening to your favorite tunes on the integrated music player, the FM radio or watching HD videos, you get to enjoy authentic sound.

Design

The elegantly designed bar shaped One X is a flat slab with rounded edges and a gently curved back. The body of the phone is made from a single piece of polycarbonate plastic that offers strength and durability. Despite the plastic body, the polymer that HTC has chosen gives the phone a classy and high-grade finish. The corning gorilla glass used for the touchscreen is durable and scratch-resistant. The minimalist design of the One X includes a piano gloss sidewall and a camera ring on the back. The wide and vivid display is backed by a gyro sensor, accelerometer, digital compass, proximity sensor and ambient light sensor that offer the best viewing experience and easy toggling between applications.

Storage and Battery

The HTC smartphone comes with an internal memory of 32 GB and 1 GB RAM. You can save your photos, music, documents and more on the smartphone’s memory. Powered by a 1800 mAh Li-Po battery, you can enjoy optimum support on the One X smartphone.

Connectivity and Features

The Android smartphone has been designed to make internet connectivity an effortless affair. The One X is enabled with GPRS, EDGE and 3G allowing you to connect to the internet with ease. Being a Wi-Fi enabled device the One X can pick up a mobile network and offer you internet connectivity. But the One X also comes with the Wi-Fi hotspot feature as well which allows the One X to connect to the mobile network and act as a Wi-Fi router. The Bluetooth facility allows you to enjoy seamless transfer of photos, music, videos and more to other compatible devices. The HTC smartphone is DLNA enabled which means you can show the content of the phone on other media devices wirelessly. The Java enabled One X comes with a micro USB port, HDMI port, TV Out Port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

The GPS enabled smartphone features A-GPS with Google Maps allowing you to navigate through your city, or an unknown one, with ease. You can get your work done when you are on the move thanks to useful features like document viewer, document editor, pushmail and the Polaris Office feature that lets you read and edit documents of a number of formats. The voice input feature makes navigation on the One X even simpler and allows you to search by voice or navigate to different applications with simple voice instructions. Staying connected with friends is a breeze on the One X and you can get instant updates on the pre-installed Facebook application. 

The HTC One X is a futuristic smartphone that comes with cutting edge technology and robust software that make communication and entertainment enjoyable.

UPDATE :

HTC One X 's Jelly bean OS upgradation is coming soon this OCTOBER.

PRICE: 

Between Rs. 34,999 to Rs. 33,000.

Specifications of HTC One X

General Features
In Sales Package:	Handset, Battery, Charger, Headset, USB Sync Cable, Safety and Regulatory Guide, Quick Start Guide, Limited Warranty Card, Customer Care Card
Form:	Bar
SIM:	Single SIM, GSM
Touch Screen:	Yes, Capacitive
Business Features:	Document Viewer, Document Editor, Pushmail
Call Features:	Loudspeaker, Call Timer
Handset Color:	Brown Gray

Platform
Operating Freq:	GSM - 850, 900, 1800, 1900; UMTS - 2100
OS:	Android v4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
User Interface:	HTC Sense 4.0
Java:	Yes
Processor:	1.5 GHz
Graphics:	ULP GeForce

Display
Type:	Super LCD 2
Size:	4.7 Inches
Resolution:	HD, 720 x 1280 Pixels
Colors:	16 M
Other Display Features:	Corning Gorilla Glass

Camera
Primary Camera:	Yes, 8 Megapixel
Secondary Camera:	Yes, 1.3 Megapixel
Flash:	LED
Video Recording:	Yes, 1080 x 1920, 30 fps
HD Recording:	HD, Full HD
Other Camera Features:	Auto Focus, BSI Sensor, Geo-tagging, Face and Smile Detection, Dedicated Imaging Chip, Continuous Shooting

Dimensions
Size:	69.9 x 134.36 x 8.9 mm
Weight:	130 g

Battery
Type:	Li-Po, 1800 mAh

Memory and Storage
Internal:	32 GB
Memory:	1 GB RAM

Internet & Connectivity
Internet Features:	Email
GPRS:	Yes
Edge:	Yes
3G:	Yes, 21 Mbps HSDPA; 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
Wifi:	Yes, 802.11 a/b/g/n
USB connectivity:	Yes, micro USB, v2
Tethering:	Wi-fi Hotspot
GPS Support:	Yes, A-GPS with Google Maps
Bluetooth:	Yes, v4, Supported Profiles (A2DP)
HDMI Port:	Yes
Audio Jack:	3.5 mm
DLNA:	Yes

Multimedia
Music Player:	Yes, Supports MP3, eAAC, WAV, MIDI
Video Player:	Yes, Supports 3GP, 3G2, MP4, WMV, AVI, HD Video Playback
FM:	Yes
Sound Enhancements:	Beats Audio
Ringtone:	MP3, WAV

Other Features
Call Memory:	Yes
SMS Memory:	Yes
Phonebook Memory:	Yes
Sensors:	Gyro Sensor, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor
Additional Features:	Video Stabilization, MMS Enabled, To-do List, Calendar, Polaris Office, In-built Battery with the Sim Slot upper side of the Handset, Voice Input, TV Out Port
Important Apps:	Facebook

 It's a good android phone, you can buy. 

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Iphone 5 Complete Review

iPhone 5 Review

General	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - GSM A1428
		CDMA 800 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - CDMA A1429
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - GSM A1428
		CDMA2000 1xEV-DO - CDMA A1429
	4G Network	LTE 700 MHz Class 17 / 1700 / 2100 - GSM A1428 or LTE 850 / 1800 / 2100 - GSM A1429
		LTE 700 / 850 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 - CDMA A1429

Body	Dimensions	123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
	Weight	112 g

Display	Type	LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	640 x 1136 pixels, 4.0 inches (~326 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass, oleophobic coating

Sound	Alert types	Vibration, propriety ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

Memory	Card slot	No
	Internal	16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM

Data	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, LTE, 100 Mbps; Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Plus Cellular
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
	USB	Yes, v2.0

Camera	Primary	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	Simultaneous HD video and image recording, touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, panorama, HDR
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps, LED video light, video stabilization, geo-tagging
	Secondary	Yes, 1.2 MP, 720p@30fps, videocalling over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G

Features	OS	iOS 6
	Chipset	Apple A6
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
	Messaging	iMessage, SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
	Browser	HTML (Safari)
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
	Java	No
	Colors	Black/Slate, White/Silver
		- nano-SIM card support only - Active noise cancellation with dedicated dual mics - Siri natural language commands and dictation - iCloud cloud service - Twitter and Facebook integration - TV-out - Maps - iBooks PDF reader - Audio/video player and editor - Image editor - Voice memo/command/dial

Battery		Standard battery, Li-Po
	Stand-by	Up to 225 h (2G) / Up to 225 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 8 h (2G) / Up to 8 h (3G)
	Music play	Up to 40 h

With features including Siri, turn-by-turn navigation, new maps, a panoramic camera, 4G, restore to iCloud and a new digital dock, the iPhone 5 has it all – and it is ahead of the competition again.

If you bought an iPhone 4S last year, most of the improvements in software from the iPhone 5 are available to you too. From Wednesday, the new iOS software is available for any of the iPhones released since 2009 (3GS, 4, 4S), as well as the second-generation iPad and iPad 3.
That brings many of the software features to those older handsets free of charge (though not all; Siri and Panorama are only for the iPhone 5 and 4S, for example) – and it will all happen at once. While Android users who have the newest phones can certainly boast that they have had better software than Apple (particularly on the mapping side, where turn-by-turn has been standard for two years), many are stuck waiting for their operator, or handset maker, or both, to update their handsets to newer software. (Google's own statistics show that 57% of Android phones that connect to its Google Play service use Android 2.3, released late in 2010.)
Now, Siri in particular is dramatically better than anything on offer on Android – and shows that Apple is sliding, ever so subtly, to a world where the screen plays second fiddle to other functions.

About New Connector (Lightning):
Oh, that new connector. By dumping the 30-pin analogue connector it had been using since 2003 (introduced to connect either to FireWire or USB 2.0 sockets, as iPods did) for its 9-pin digital "Lightning" Apple has caused gigantic upheaval in the accessories market. Though a 9-digital-to-30-analogue adaptor does exist, it will cost £25, so you'll probably not want many. But Apple seems to be directing accessories companies towards wireless connections such as its AirPlay system – and accessory makers meanwhile have decided that 30-pin is dead: they've already switching almost their whole production (save 20% or so) over to the 9-pin connector.
Happily, the 9-pin can be plugged in either way, halving your chances of frustration while plugging in the USB lead. Obsolescence is ugly – no other word for it – but Apple is never one to be tied to the past.

• News
• Technology
• iPhone 5

iPhone 5 – Detailed review

With features including Siri, turn-by-turn navigation, new maps, a panoramic camera, 4G, restore to iCloud and a new digital dock, the iPhone 5 has it all – and it is ahead of the competition again

Charles Arthur gives an in-depth review of Apple's new smartphone Link to this video The digerati mostly greeted the iPhone 5 last week with a collective yawn. So much was already known – a longer, larger (yet not wider) screen, thinner body, a new connector offering instant obsolescence for hundreds of accessories – that its Tom Daley-like lack of splash was declared, in this Olympic year, to lack enough of the technology motto citius, grandior, vilius (faster, bigger, cheaper) – even if it is the first two.
Like statisticians poring over Olympic outcomes, they declared too that it didn't break any records – not the biggest screen, not the world's thinnest phone, not packing the most features. But as anyone who watched the Games would tell you, it's not the record-breaking that matters; it's the experience.
That starts when you hold it: raw specifications (18% thinner than last year's 4S, 20% lighter, 12% less volume) don't explain how it seems to float in the hand, and how typing or swiping feels like touching the very pixels. (New processes have removed one layer of glass from the touchscreen.) The tactile pleasure is second only to Nokia's beguilingly curved (and largely overlooked) Lumia 800. And while the 4in screen is longer, but not wider (enough for six rows of icons rather than five), you can still swipe across it with your thumb, unlike giants such as Samsung's whopping 4.8in Galaxy S3.

Software and services, not just specs

In truth, it's the software that makes this phone amazing. In a world dominated by "specifications" – how fast, how far, how many, many commentators think the Olympics of smartphones is measured, like a race, by how fast you do things. Does this phone run at 1.6 GHz and that one at 1.61GHz? Award the medal!
What photos and specifications can't tell you is what it's like to hold in your hand. While Apple can show you endless photos and promo videos (and critics can endlessly snort at how feeble its measurements are compared with bigger rivals), it's only by picking it up do you understand what Sir Jonathan Ive is on about. He speaks in his quietly rapturous tones about "chamfered edges" and "unique object" – and "seamlessly". (And "aluminium", correctly.)
The first surprise is that it's really light, making the year-old iPhone 4S feel like a paperweight. There's also a subtle friction to the edges and the metal back that makes it far less likely to slip from your grasp (a complaint often made of the iPhone 4 and 4S).
Next, although the screen is longer (4in diagonally rather than the 4S's 3.5in; 1136x640 pixels, compared with the 4S's 960x640, both at 326ppi), fitting in six rows of icons instead of five, you can still operate it by sweeping one thumb across the screen, from home button at the bottom to power switch at the top.
Among smartphones, bigger screens abound, but most are compromised because as they grow, they need two hands to operate. Somehow Apple has evaded this pitfall. The HTC Titan, for example, with a 4.7in screen, is unusable because (like the iPhone) its power button is on the top; you can't hold a phone in your palm and still reach all the way across the top. (In contrast the Samsung Galaxy S3 – hereafter the SGS3 – has its power button near the top of the right-hand side, so you can work it.)
Another element you can't see from the pictures: when you start typing, or swiping between apps, it feels as though you're touching the pixels; the production process has eliminated a layer of glass in the touchscreen. It's spooky at first; after only a short while other phones feel thick.

Down from the iCloud

For existing iPhone owners who have an iCloud account to which they have backed up their phone, there's a nice welcome that didn't exist last year. If you activate a new iPhone with that iCloud account, you can set it up with everything – including photos, apps, settings and passwords for email and calendars and Wi-Fi, and even details such as your alarm times.
Everything is as it was on the old one, seamlessly. That's better than either Android or Windows Phone, the two principal contenders, which will download your apps but leave you to fill in the settings and recreate your alarms and app settings.
Sure, you might not set up an iPhone more than once every couple of years – but having it work like this (new since last year, because iCloud backups were only introduced with the 4S) is a definite plus.

4G/LTE, battery life and signal level

In the UK, only Everything Everywhere (Orange/T-Mobile) will have 4G connectivity at least until 2013, when 3 will have some of its 1800MHz spectrum. I couldn't test this as I was using an O2-enabled model (and couldn't just swap in my own Orange/T-Mobile SIM, because the iPhone 5 uses the new nano-SIM). The expectation is that it will offer connectivity of up to 100Mbps over long distances; if it does, it will transform the whole experience of using this phone and others like it, as you'll see.
I couldn't directly compare signal reception of the 4S and 5 because the two models I was comparing were on different networks (Orange and O2), rendering any comparison moot.
Battery life on the iPhone 5 seemed better, though it wasn't possible in the time available to make a precise comparison. Apple is certainly promising more – 225 hours' standby time on the iPhone 5 against 200 on the iPhone 4S, though that's still less than the 300 hours originally offered for the iPhone 4. But it's promising more 3G browsing and talk time (8 hours v 6 hours), plus 8 hours of LTE use – which is colossal, given that early versions of LTE chewed through battery life. By biding its time and not offering it last year, Apple may have given itself the best chance to benefit from 4G. But the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
The flipside – how quickly it charges, rather than discharges – is positive: the iPhone 5 is a power sponge, charging even more quickly than the 4S, which was no slouch itself.

Panoramic camera

The "Panorama" camera functionality is truly remarkable. Start moving the camera, take a picture, and it will keep going until you have a 28MP scene. Yes, other cameras have had panorama systems – including, yes, Samsung. Those limit you to staying in one place and moving the camera around. This is different: you can move yourself, you can move around or up and down and object, or whirl completely around – 360 degrees of freedom. Then once you're done, the software stitches it together, with no fisheye distortion and no stitching. I tried circumnavigating a colleague's head, and whirling the phone around in a field: the results are really interesting.
I anticipate devices to which you can strap a panorama-capturing iPhone that will keep steady, or macro pictures showing things in huge details. One sardonic tweet after the iPhone 5's introduction, looking at the billion-dollar valuation put on photo-sharing service Instagram by Facebook, said "Don't call yourself an entrepreneur if you haven't yet formed your next startup, Panoramagram". You laugh now. All I can say is: just wait. And if you make picture frames, expect some orders.

Maps and mapping

The news in May that Google was sidelined as the provider of maps for the iPhone (in any phone that runs iOS 6, to be released later on Wednesday 19 September) caused a fair amount of hand-wringing and worry. Would it be as good? Or would it just use some in-between rubbish?
Don't worry – it's very good. Here we need to distinguish between the maps themselves, and the maps app. The maps don't have all the highlighting of Google's, but the amount of detail such as road names seems to me greater. The 3D view (which you can yaw by sliding two fingers up or down on either end of the screen) is entertaining – more so if you turn on the satellite imagery – and you can also rotate the maps with two fingers, or bring them back to true north by tapping a compass.
The Guardian offices in London viewed on the new iOS 6 software on the iPhone 5 That all brings feature parity with Android – as does the introduction of turn-by-turn voice navigation, so that your satnav can now play music and make or receive phone calls.

Hello, Siri

What really catapults the iPhone 5 past its rivals is the combination of features and services. In particular Siri, the voice-driven "assistant", is transformed in the UK from something quite useful for sending texts or emails, or making phone calls without unlocking the phone, into a real virtual assistant.
Siri knows football scores on iOS6 running on the iPhone 5 In its new incarnation, Siri can find and book restaurants (or subvariants – you want Thai restaurants, it will find them) near you, tell you football scores, offer turn-by-turn navigation to anywhere, open apps (handy if your phone has so many you can't find them), post comments to Twitter or Facebook, and find film times and reviews. (It does other stuff too including weather forecasts and stock prices.)
Siri can't do everything: cricket flummoxes it still I've been using an iPhone for the past few months, after about a year only using Android phones, and found the earlier incarnation of Siri increasingly useful. For example on Monday I had to make a number of calls and send texts while driving. Sure, anyone can make voice-dialled calls with a Bluetooth headset. But write texts? From a locked screen? With a headphone/mic combination, I could. You dictate, Siri translates, reads it back, and will then send when you say "send it".
But the new one is dramatically better. Here's why. Until this month, if you wanted to find a nearby restaurant, you'd have to unlock your phone, go to the browser, type in "restaurants", and hope that you'd get some related results in your search. Or you might have had an app like TopTable, where you'd still have to type in some details and wait for a response.
With Siri now, you simply say "Find Thai restaurants near here". It thinks for a bit and comes back with a list. I tried this even in my rural location – and it offered six, five of which I didn't know existed. (Sadly, a Siri-driven restaurant reservation system is only available in the US, Canada and Mexico. Ay caramba!)
Or you need to get directions to a location: you tell Siri "give me directions to…" and, after some ruminating, it will transform into a satnav. So now you've got a satnav that can play music and make and take phone calls – it will interrupt those with directions as needed. (As a security note, it might be a good idea to use a different name for your home than "Home", just to avoid opportunist thieves navigating back to your house.)
Siri is voice control done right, because you don't need to think about the context of what you're asking; you simply give the command and it works it out. True, it doesn't transcribe everything perfectly, but then typing on a keyboard isn't perfect either. It will do football results (and it doesn't think that's American football), so "what are the football results from this weekend" gives you the Premier League results. Or you can be specific – "did Tottenham Hotspur win?" (But nothing's perfect: "did Spurs win" gives you details of some American football team, and for now, at least, rugby and cricket fans are out of luck.)

Video

The iPhone 5 gets a rear camera capable of 1080p video recording, during which you can also shoot stills. (Some Android phones, including the SGS3, have had this for a while.) The front-facing camera gets 720p recording, and FaceTime – Apple's video call protocol – works on both Wi-Fi and mobile, if your carrier allows it.

Do Not Disturb, and other messages

iOS6 introduces the idea of Do Not Disturb – times between which you don't want phone calls or notifications such as texts to bother you, although you can elect to let those numbers picked as "Favourites" through at once, and determined callers on the second call.
Rejecting an incoming call on iOS6 on the iPhone 5: sliding up the "reject" icon on the right offers three pre-written messages, or you can send a custom one Similarly, when someone calls and you can't respond, you get a choice of rejecting the call, or sending a pre-prepared text message from a selection, or creating one on the spot – all from the lock screen if needed. Yes, HTC and Samsung have offered this already. This is an elegant implementation, though.

Let them Passbook

The growing number of QR-style tickets and other items that accrue in one's email inbox can seem alarming. Apart from anything, they're difficult to find and organise (we've all had the moment running a server search on our email for that ticket at the airport or rail check-in, surely?). The answer that some companies are trying to push is NFC, or near-field communications. Apple's answer however is not NFC but Passbook, an app which collects special versions of those tickets (they're not just email attachments).
Passbook on iOS6 on the iPhone 5 pulls together vouchers and tickets from different companies and locations The "passes" can be location-sensitive, and show in your lock screen (convenient). It wasn't possible to test this (developers have yet to write many apps, though it will only be a matter of time) but the interaction is very smooth. Certainly, not having to dig through emails will be a bonus.
Passbook voucher on iOS6 on iPhone 5

Almost all shall have updates

If you bought an iPhone 4S last year, most of the improvements in software from the iPhone 5 are available to you too. From Wednesday, the new iOS software is available for any of the iPhones released since 2009 (3GS, 4, 4S), as well as the second-generation iPad and iPad 3.
That brings many of the software features to those older handsets free of charge (though not all; Siri and Panorama are only for the iPhone 5 and 4S, for example) – and it will all happen at once. While Android users who have the newest phones can certainly boast that they have had better software than Apple (particularly on the mapping side, where turn-by-turn has been standard for two years), many are stuck waiting for their operator, or handset maker, or both, to update their handsets to newer software. (Google's own statistics show that 57% of Android phones that connect to its Google Play service use Android 2.3, released late in 2010.)
Now, Siri in particular is dramatically better than anything on offer on Android – and shows that Apple is sliding, ever so subtly, to a world where the screen plays second fiddle to other functions.

Only connect

Oh, that new connector. By dumping the 30-pin analogue connector it had been using since 2003 (introduced to connect either to FireWire or USB 2.0 sockets, as iPods did) for its 9-pin digital "Lightning" Apple has caused gigantic upheaval in the accessories market. Though a 9-digital-to-30-analogue adaptor does exist, it will cost £25, so you'll probably not want many. But Apple seems to be directing accessories companies towards wireless connections such as its AirPlay system – and accessory makers meanwhile have decided that 30-pin is dead: they've already switching almost their whole production (save 20% or so) over to the 9-pin connector.
Happily, the 9-pin can be plugged in either way, halving your chances of frustration while plugging in the USB lead. Obsolescence is ugly – no other word for it – but Apple is never one to be tied to the past.

Conclusions

It's worth recalling that a smartphone isn't a package of specifications. It's that, plus features (the software that drives the onboard camera, say) and services (such as the software that runs Siri or the maps). Those who were quick to dismiss the iPhone 5 based on its specifications – but no experience with its features or services – made the mistake of thinking that a phone is just components. But it's the gestalt that makes it a pleasant experience – or otherwise. For those who insist on NFC, or direct access to the phone's file system, or the option of opening web pages in multiple different browsers, the iPhone and iOS will never be satisfactory.
But Apple doesn't care. Steve Jobs once said that interfaces which spawned a lot of windows meant that "you get to be the janitor" – a post he didn't relish. Android lets you be the janitor, air-conditioning chief and managing director; the iPhone lets you be the user. It's a key difference in philosophy. You can't do as much on the iPhone – but sometimes fewer choices mean faster decisions. Siri in particular is a revelation; expect to hear much more of its C#-listening-to-G#-acting pings around you.
As for the iPhone 5, it's a lovely piece of equipment. Boring? Lacking wow? With its market value now crossing $700bn and iPhone 5 pre-orders through the roof, Apple might disagree.


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Micromax Ninja 4 Complete Review ...

Micromax Ninja 4 review

• Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread
• 4inch capacitive display
• 1GHz scorpion processor
• 2MP primary camera 

It’s great buy to those who’re not at all worried about playing games on this device. So, gamers stay away from it. Those who’re just starting their day with Android smartphones, you can look forward to this device. Also, standard/general Android users who’re not game-savvy wouldn’t face any issues in using this device.

Pros:

• 4inch display
• 1GHz processor
• Capacitive buttons at bottom

Cons:

• Low on RAM
• Low on internal storage

Battery:
1400mAh battery is what powering Micromax A87 pretty nicely. There are absolutely no issues with the battery life of this device. Moderate usage of this device will give you one day battery backup very easily. You got to keep on toggling your internet connection for that purpose.

Software:
Micromax A87 runs on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread which is standing on the cliff. Well, it’s not bad either but it can counted as one of the disappointing factor. There’re absolutely no customization to the original Android interface. Micromax did include their own launcher but that doesn’t make any remarkable changes. Sadly, there is no AISHA with this smartphone. There are standard applications preloaded from the Micromax like Facebook, HookUp etc. These apps are definitely a plus point as they play the important role in keeping you engaged and updated with your social life. Also, this device comes up with WiFi hotspot facility. WiFi Hotspot will allow you to share your internet with your friends having WiFi connectivity options with their smartphones.
There is about 129MB internal memory available in the Micromax A87. Well, you can definitely add your own micro SD card and increase it to up to 32GB. Well, did we mention that this device comes up with dual SIM mode? Yes, it does.

Hardware:
Hardware of the Micromax A87 is pretty decent. 1GHz scorpion processor is really fast but its the RAM which might fall short to some of you. We observed about 70MB free RAM in our testing. That’s pretty low if you would be wanting to run Temple run like games. Well, some of the basic games are still compatible. Design of the Micromax A87 is pretty simple. Starting with the front panel, we have 4inch capacitive display accompanied by 3 capacitive buttons at the bottom. On the right side of the device, it has power/lock/unlock key. There is no shutter key available for the camera. On the left hand side of the device, you can find volume rocker buttons. These keys are actually bit hard to press. On the top of the we’ve standard 3.5mm Audio jack to connect your standard headphones. If you shift your focus to the bottom of the device, you’ll find USB port there.

Inside the box:

• Handset
• 3.5mm Audio headset
• Data cable
• Charger
• User manuals
• Warranty card                      

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